The Wizard Who Ran
by FlamboyantlyBiBoy
Summary: After the end of their OWLs, Harry James Potter disappeared from school. The next day he was removed from the wizarding society, and sent into the foster system. Of course, staying put was never his style. Prequel to The Boy Under The Bleachers, and The Girl With Poka Dots. No actual Bones characters in this one. Talk of cutting


**Title: **The Wizard Who Ran

**Author: **FlamboyantlyBiBoy

**Feedback: **Yes please

**Summary:** After the end of their OWLs, Harry James Potter disappeared from school. The next day he was removed from the wizarding society, and sent into the foster system. Of course, staying put was never his style.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter

**Spoilers: **A little bit of The Order Of The Phoenix.

**Pairing: **None

**Warnings: **None

**Beta'd: **Not beta'd

**Author's Note: **Prequel to The Boy Under The Bleachers, and The Girl With Poka Dots. No actual Bones characters in this one. Harry's fifteen, and Ron is

**ENJOY!**

Three letters stared up from pale skin in a way to mock the owner. D, C, T. Bright red against pure white would make most people sick. To him, they were just part of this life of the past six weeks.

Harry James Potter was able to hold all his belongings in a single rucksack. He had now run away four times since entering the foster system. Each time he ran to the same place, and every time they sent him back. While he understood why, Harry's pleas to stay had a new energy each time. This one would be different though.

Soft light streamed across the foggy lawn Harry was currently wading through. The tall building in front of him didn't look like it should be standing on it's own, but somehow it did.

Harry stepped onto the front porch, and knocked on the door. Rapid footsteps came from inside as Harry ran his hands shakily over his bag strap. Feeling the studs against his palm was soothing.

"You lasted almost two weeks this time." The plump, red-haired woman said as she opened the door, "What happened?"

"He was a creeper." Harry shrugged.

"I'm just fixing breakfast. If you help, I'll feed you."

Harry knew she would anyway, but was eager to help however he could. She asked for the details of what happened with Mr. Green. While chopping up fruit, Harry explained that Mr. Green locked him in in the basement, and hardly fed him.

"I understand that they're bad places, honey, but you can't keep running off." Mrs. Weasley chided him.

"Yeah, I'll have to stop when school starts since I don't want to switch schools all the time." Harry told her, "Hopefully, I'll find a good place by then."

"What will you go to school for?"

"Same as I wanted to before Hogwarts. Forensic Anthropology." Seeing the comfusion on Mrs. Weasley's face, Harry explained, "I'd be figuring out how somebody died using their bones. Sometimes modern murders, but mostly ancient skeletons. The thing is, I need a stable school, or George Washington University wont look at my application twice. That's the leading college in Forensic Anthropology in Virginia in the U.S. I never really thought I could go there, because of money, but now…that's not exactly a problem."

"You know your stuff." She observed.

"I've been looking into it for ten years, I should." Harry quickly changed the subject, "Are the others here yet?"

"They got home yesterday. They'll all be happy to see you."

As if on cue, a gang off ginger teens stumbled into their kitchen. Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny gaped at their long-lost friend. The five of them hadn't seen each other for almost two months, and were shocked at the differences.

Harry's hair had grown out over one eye, which had caused it to finally lay close to flat. One of his previous foster families had a problem with glasses, and got him contacts. Finally, his clothes were worn black jeans, a black trench coat, and a purple button down that had gone dull.

Ron had grown at least two inches. Ginny was maturing into a young woman fast. Fred and George seemed to have shrunk in comparison to Ron. Each of them were dressed in sleeping clothes.

Surprisingly, Ron was the first to react. Pulling his best mate into a tight hug. They held onto each other as anchors, until Harry felt Ron repressing sobs.

"I'm alright." Harry lied easily.

Ron nodded, and released Harry to give his siblings a chance to greet the raven. Ginny hugged him as well. Fred and George teased for a minute, before Mrs. Weasley ushered them up-stairs.

Harry stalked Ron up to his bedroom under the attic. His bed was more comfortable than anywhere Harry had slept on of late. Soft, and fluffy. He was almost asleep by the time Ron spoke.

"What happened?"

It took Harry a minute to answer, "I don't regret it. Even with everything that's happened, I don't feel guilty."

"What's 'it' exactly?" Ron settled onto the bed which caused Harry to sit up.

"I went after Voldemort by myself. Next thing I know, they're putting me on trial, kicking me out of the world, and sending me back to the Dursleys full time." Harry wasn't looking at Ron, "They were treating me like scum again so I ran off. Then your mum knew I wouldn't go back so I went to the orphanage, which led to now three foster homes in the past month. All of which I ran away from, and came here."

"What happened with you-know-who?"

"Can we not talk about it? He's fully dead, that's all that matters, right?"

"I guess, mate. What I don't get, why didn't the Prophet report anything about all this?"

"Makes the ministry look bad, I guess, since that's where it all happened."

Ron looked down, "It's good to see you again. I…thought I wouldn't when you just disappeared."

"That wouldn't be the case." Harry watched his friend, "I had it figured out. I was going to come here sometime over the summer, and we would then be able to keep up a mailing connection. The ministry wouldn't like it, but we'd find a way."

Ron looked up at him.

"And after we finish school, we would be able to live together. We're best mates for life. We could get through anything."

"You're right."

"I didn't want to leave. They made me. I thought your parents told you that I was okay." Harry hugged Ron gently.

Ron hugged back, "That's why I believed something bad happened."

"Well, I'm safe now. At least mostly. I want to find a foster home that's safe. Hopefully, it wont be extremely far away, and we can visit each other behind the ministry's back."

"Deal. We'll figure something out." Ron smiled.

"Come on. I'm hungry." Harry bounded off the bed.

They rushed down-stairs, and into the kitchen. Harry was beaming excitedly. This was his home. This house with this family was where he was safe. Hot plates of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and fruit awaited the boys. Each dug in with vigor. Laughter trickled out between mouthfuls.

When Mr. Weasley got home, he didn't blink twice at Harry being there.

"A, B, or C?" was all he said.

"C." Harry answered. Ron looked at him questioningly, "Types of abuse. A is verbal; B is physical; C is sexual."

Nothing more was said about it during breakfast. After which, Harry picked up his bag again with a glum expression.

"Does he have to go?" Ron whispered to his parents, "Why can't Harry stay here?"

"We'd keep him, but the ministry would never allow it." His dad answered, "Harry's not suppose to have any connection to the wizarding world."

"He's miserable, doesn't that count for something?"

"Not with murder involved, honey." Mrs. Weasley answered sadly.

"Murder?" Ron gawked.

"They found Harry covered in blood, and they couldn't confirm it was you-know-who's. He was convicted of murder with an unknown victim. It's a wonder he's not in Azkaban." Mr. Weasley explained to him.

"Harry wouldn't have killed anybody unless it was you-know-who, even then he would hesitate." Ron headed up-stairs in a storm.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley called to the raven, "Go take a bath, before we take you back."

Sulkily, Harry did as he was asked. An hour later, Harry sat in a taxi with Ron, and Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Weasley had disappeared back to work, before the boys had returned from down-stairs.

While Harry sat calmly, Ron was fuming. He couldn't understand why Harry couldn't stay with them, or why anybody could believe he would kill an innocent person.

When they reached the foster center, the teens sat down while Mrs. Weasley talked to one of the perky women who always made Harry feel sick. Everybody here was freakishly happy.

"Does it normally take this long?" Ron asked after nearly half an hour.

"No." Harry answered shortly.

"Do you wish you could stay with us?"

"Of course, but the likelihood of that happening is not very large."

They sat in silence of a few minutes, before Harry got restless. He got up to look at all the self-help flyers on one of the walls. After a while, it become too depressing, and he moved on to the wall of schools.

Mr. Weasley arrived a little while later to find Harry riffling through high school guides, and Ron watching him grumpily.

"Mr. Potter," That perky women called. She was approaching with Mrs. Weasley.

Harry didn't look up from the guide in his hands. Instead, he pushed a couple others across the table, and murmured, "Can I go to one of those, please?"

Ron watched his dad show his mom a piece of paper which caused her to smile.

"Why these?" The woman asked.

"Good science departments, and anthropology classes." Harry still clutched the other paper as woman went over to the Weasley parents. Under his breath, Harry continued, "Also, they're within reasonable distance from Ottery St. Catchpole."

Ron smiled slightly.

"The only place better would be Ottery High." Harry looked over at Ron, who looked back.

"That would be very close." Ron answered, "But the likelihood of that happening is not very large."

"Unfortunately." Harry sighed, rubbing his hand over his arm. There was a ghost pain flying over his arm, from the words carved into his hand to the letters on his arm.

Mrs. Weasley came over to him, and held out a paper, "Harry, the ministry will allow you to stay with us while you attend school."

Both boys looked up at her. Ron was the first to speak, "Really, Mum?"

Before she could answer, Harry stood up to hug her tightly. He found there were tears shining in his eyes. Mrs. Weasley hugged him back, "You're welcome, Harry. We're signing the adoption papers, and then going home."

Harry pulled back from the hug, wiping at his face, "Um, do you think there would be any way for me to change my name? I can't go back to how my life was before, and Potter is just a reminder. At first I was thinking about changing it to Evans, but if it was alright with you I'd like to go with Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley beamed, "I think would be just fine."

Ron hugged Harry from behind, whispering, "I guess we're really brothers now."

That night Harry James Weasley was laying in the former bedroom of Percy Ignatius Weasley with Ron by his side.

After several minutes of silence, Ron spoke up, "What are you going to do to this place?"

"I'm thinking paint it to start with. We can look at paint samples tomorrow when we go into town to sign me up for Ottery High." Harry answered happily.

"We're also getting you clothes, and stuff." Ron reminded him.

Harry sat up, and reached for his bag. Ron leaned up on his elbows to watch as Harry pulled a small pocket-knife out.

"What's that for?"

"I got it as soon as they took away my wand. I didn't feel safe without it, and this helped." Harry pulled up the sleeve on his left arm to reveal the letters carved there, "It's been more helpful keeping my list though."

"List of what?" Ron took a closer look at the cuts.

"Families that didn't work out. First the Dursleys, the Greens, and the Totolies. Now, I need to add the Campbells, and I wont have to add any more. All foster kids have a list in some way. I just add the last initial to the list of scars." Harry shrugged like cutting letters into your arm was normal.

"You're going to carve a G into your arm?" Ron wasn't so sure about it being normal.

Harry nodded.

"I'm not watching." Ron got up, and went to the bathroom. When he returned, Harry was applying pressure with a tissue to his arm, "You are possibly my weirdest brother."

At that, Harry laughed, "We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be very busy."

Ron nodded, then headed up to his own bedroom, "Night, weirdo!"


End file.
